By Thomas Driscoll, NFU Director of Conservation Policy and Education Farmers and ranchers need a wide range of abilities and knowledge to succeed. Depending on the operation, a beginning producer may require aptitude in livestock nutrition, tractor repair, meteorology, regulatory permitting, purchase order negotiations, and more… all in the same day! But even the mastery of all … Read More
By Jimmy Dula, NFU Intern David Whittaker, Owner of Oak Meadows Farm in Ferndale, WA, successfully raised $5,365 through a Barnraiser crowdfunding campaign. David raises pastured hens, turkeys and quail for meat and egg production. Read through this short Q&A to find out more about his experience accessing capital to grow his operation. Why did … Read More
By Jimmy Dula, NFU Intern Are you a farmer with a well-considered and lucrative plan for value-added production, but without the business history to secure a loan for the necessary equipment? Do you think your customers would pitch in to help you buy a smaller tractor if they could secure preferred access to the produce you … Read More
By Mike Nolan, Rocky Mountain Farmers Union; President, Four Corners Farmers and Ranchers Coalition Three years ago in August, I bought a small, 13-acre parcel of irrigated land in the Mancos Valley of Colorado. I had been farming for 6 years at that point, but paying a mortgage and building permanent infrastructure was completely new to me. … Read More
By Tom Driscoll, NFU Director of Conservation Policy and Education The stability of the food supply in the United States depends upon farmers’ access to credit. Credit presents challenges to all farmers and ranchers because cash flows differently for farms than it does for many other types of businesses. But obstacles to credit can be especially … Read More
For beginning producers who farm and ranch on intergenerational family operations, good succession planning is essential to securing access to land. By Brittany Ann Bula, Wisconsin Farmers Union, Beginning Farmer Institute 2016-2017 As a 4th generation farmer, and as my parents grow older, the touchy subject of secession farming is brought up more often than not. … Read More
By Tom Driscoll, NFU Director of Conservation Policy and Education National Farmer Union’s historic concern and advocacy for the vitality of family farming and rural communities demands that every person involved with the organization works to ensure beginning producers can successfully engage in farming and support their families with sustainable businesses. NFU’s policy, established by the … Read More
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 7, 2016 Contact: Andrew Jerome, 202-314-3106 ajerome@nfudc.org SALINAS, Calif. (November 7, 2016) – The National Farmers Union (NFU) Beginning Farmers Institute (BFI) reconvened in Salinas, California, on Friday, November 4, for the second of three annual programming sessions. Seventeen beginning farmers and ranchers from across the country attended the two-day, hands-on learning … Read More
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 12, 2016 Contact: Andrew Jerome, 202-314-3106 ajerome@nfudc.org WASHINGTON (September 12, 2016) – National Farmers Union’s (NFU) Beginning Farmer Institute (BFI) convened this weekend in Washington, D.C., for the first of three learning sessions that will take place during the next year. Seventeen beginning farmers, representing demographical, geographical and production diversity in … Read More
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 28, 2016 Contact: Andrew Jerome, 202-314-3106 ajerome@nfudc.org WASHINGTON (June 28, 2016) – National Farmers Union (NFU) Beginning Farmers Institute (BFI) was created to empower the success of America’s next generation of farmers, and the NFU Foundation is pleased to announce the largest participant class in the program’s six-year history. Seventeen beginning … Read More